Jack Black Joins The Rock's Jumanji, Here's What We Know

It’s been 21 years since the original Jumanji was released, showing audiences the mystical world inside the eponymous board game and the chaos it unleashed into the real world. For Hollywood, that means it’s the prime time to remake the movie for a new generation. So far only Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has been confirmed to star in the Jumanji remake, though his Central Intelligence co-star Kevin Hart will reportedly be involved. Now there’s word that School of Rock star Jack Black is also participating in the retelling.

Originally reported by The Wrap, Dwayne Johnson confirmed on his Instagram page that Jack Black has joined the Jumanji remake, which, like the 1995 movie, is based off the 1981 children’s book written by Chris Van Allsburg. There was no information in concerning the character Black would play, but Johnson mentioned that in the role, Black brings that “rare balance of cool with funny and edge with childlike joy. The project will reunite Black with director Jake Kasdan, the two of them having previously worked together in 2002’s Orange County. The remake is being written by Scott Rosenberg and Jeff Pinkner, while Van Allsburg will serve as one of the producers.

Rather than it being some kind of PG-13 parody, the Jumanji remake is expected to be a family friendly movie like its predecessor, which means that Jack Black would fit well in it, assuming he does indeed sign on. Although he’s starred in many adult comedies over the years, he’s also carved a niche for himself in kid-friendly fare, like voicing Po in the Kung Fu Panda movies, starring in Gulliver’s Travels and having a minor role in The Muppets. He most recently appeared as R.L. Stine in the Goosebumps movie.

No plots details for the Jumanji remake have been released. Dwayne Johnson recently said that the remake would honor Robin Williams, who starred in the original Jumanji movie as Alan Parish, the boy who was trapped in the board game for 26 years and came back into the real world as a man. In the same Instagram post, Johnson included the hashtag #JustPressStart, which may indicate that the new Jumanji might might be a video game rather than a board game. I mean, sure video games out more relevant nowadays, but there’s something nice about a traditional board game being responsible for the pandemonium. According to Johnson, the movie also has five central roles, which, if Kevin Hart ends up signing on, means three have already been allocated.

With production expected to start in Hawaii this August, moviegoers can look forward to the Jumanji remake hitting theaters on July 28, 2017.